Paver calculator
How many pavers a patio or walkway needs, plus the gravel base and bedding sand underneath.
Pavers
- Gravel base
- Bedding sand
- Sand in 0.5 cu ft bags
Gravel weight uses about 1.5 tons per cubic yard for crushed stone base. Your supplier's figure is more accurate.
How to use it
Enter the patio's length and width in feet, or its total area. Enter the paver size in inches; common bricks are 4 × 8 in. Pick an allowance for cuts, then set the depth of the gravel base and bedding sand. The calculator shows how many pavers to buy and how much base and sand goes underneath.
How it's calculated
- Pavers per square foot = 144 ÷ (paver width × paver length).
- Pavers = area × (1 + extra) × pavers per square foot, rounded up.
- Gravel base = area × base depth ÷ 12, in cubic feet; ÷ 27 for cubic yards.
- Bedding sand = area × sand depth ÷ 12, in cubic feet.
| Paver size | Pavers per sq ft |
|---|---|
| 4 × 8 in | 4.5 |
| 6 × 6 in | 4 |
| 6 × 9 in | about 2.67 |
| 12 × 12 in | 1 |
| 16 × 16 in | about 0.56 |
How deep should the base be?
| Project | Compacted gravel base | Bedding sand |
|---|---|---|
| Patio or walkway, well-drained soil | 4 to 6 in | about 1 in |
| Patio on clay, or in cold climates | 6 to 10 in | about 1 in |
| Driveway | 8 to 12 in or more | about 1 in |
Paver manufacturers don't all agree on base depth, and soil and frost matter a lot. Clay holds water and moves; frost heave lifts shallow bases. When in doubt, go deeper, and follow the paver maker's guide for your product.
Tips
- Compact the base in layers of 2 to 4 inches rather than all at once, for a firm, even surface.
- Use coarse concrete sand for bedding, not fine play sand, and screed it flat. Don't compact the bedding sand before laying pavers.
- Buy extra pavers from the same batch. Colors vary between production runs, and spares make future repairs invisible.